


More Hearts Than Mine

by Dancerlittle



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: F/M, Jack brings home someone for the first time, M/M, Meeting the Family, Multi, his siblings are obviously nervous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-24 21:14:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30078432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancerlittle/pseuds/Dancerlittle
Summary: Jack is coming home for the first time since leaving for college earlier that fall. He's bringing home someone for the first time.
Relationships: Albert DaSilva/Finch (Newsies), Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	1. Coming Home

**As always, I do not own anything that you’re familiar with - Newsies, songs, characters, etc. This is loosely based on the song “More Hearts Than Mine” by Ingrid Andress. This has been rattling around in my head for a while and I decided to sit down and write it. As always, feedback would be wonderful! Warnings: cursing**

**Race** \- 17 years old, junior in high school - living at Medda’s 

**Spot** \- 18 years old, senior in high school

**Charlie** \- 17 years old, junior in high school - living at Medda’s 

**Amelia** \- 17 years old, junior in high school

**Albert** \- 16 years old, sophomore in high school - living at Medda’s 

**Finch** \- 16 years old, sophomore in high school

**Smalls** \- 13 years old, 8th grade - living at Medda’s 

**Romeo** \- 10 years old, 3rd grade - living at Medda’s 

**Henry** \- 4 years old, daycare - living at Medda’s

**Jack/Katherine** \- 19 years old, sophomores in college

**October 4, 2019**

“Let’s go! All of you are going to be late!” She hollered, her voice carrying throughout the house. Mornings were always crazy in the household but Medda wouldn’t have it any other way. It was always busy with six foster children running around getting into various amounts of mischief. To say, there was never a dull moment in the house and Medda lived for it. 

Standing in the middle of the kitchen, she grinned seeing her children file in, sleep still in their eyes. She narrowed her eyes seeing a yawn escape his mouth. “Cover your mouth, Racer.” 

Race looked at her with a grin. “Sorry momma. It’s Friday y'all.” 

Charlie snorted, shaking his head. “Don’t matter because we’ve got a Chemistry exam that we’ve gotta get through before the weekend.” 

“Don’t remind me.” Race groaned, throwing his head back as Smalls and Romeo joined him at the table. 

Medda raised an eyebrow at the two. “Are you both ready for the exam?” 

“Study hall right before it.” Charlie grinned, looking over at Race. 

She shook her head. “An hour isn’t enough time to cram.” 

“At least you don’t have a history exam.” Albert threw himself into a chair giving his older brothers a glance. “I second Charlie’s comment about study hall.” 

Henry came running in, yelling about something. Medda raised an eyebrow, looking around the room, trying to see if anyone knew what was up with her youngest. Race, Charlie, and Albert all shrugged while Smalls and Romeo were focused on the bowls of cereal in front of them. 

“Hey Henry, cool it.” Albert yelled, grabbing Henry and putting him at the opposite end of the table. “Can’t we have a breakfast in peace once in a while?” 

Charlie shook his head, looking at his little brother. “You’re one to talk, Albie. Usually you and Racer are going at each other’s throats and causing a ruckus at breakfast. If we don’t have a quiet one, it’s typically your fault.”

Knowing she needed to squash whatever was happening in front of her before it got out of hand, Medda looked around the kitchen. “Hey remember Jack’s coming home tonight.” Medda called, causing the usual chaos of the kitchen to come to a standstill. 

Concerned with the sudden quietness, Medda looked up from the six lunches she was packing. “You guys didn’t forget did you?”

“Uhhh no momma. Didn’t realize it came up so quickly.” Race was the first to recover pushing a bright smile on his face as he looked around at his foster siblings. “When will he be here?”

Medda smiled. “He said about 5, just in time for dinner. Don’t dilly dally tonight. Come home and get your homework done so you don’t have to don’t have to worry about it this weekend.”

“Did he say why he was coming home?” Albert bit into an apple, giving the room a wide glance. 

Medda smirked. “As if that boy needs a reason to come home. He did mention he was bringing someone home with him.”

Several pairs of eyes widened at her statement as she levelset with each of her children. “Now listen here you’re going to leave your brother and whoever he brings home alone. No giving him crap or being the normal pain in the butts you are.” 

“As if we’d ever do that.” Race’s jaw dropped looking first at Medda before looking between Albert and Charlie. 

Medda sighed, pointing a finger looking at her oldest three. “Treat Jack’s guest as I treated you when you first came to live with me. If I hear of you pulling any tricks or pranks, you’ll be answering not only to me but I’ll let Jack deal with you as well.”

“Momma!” Albert and Race yelled, knowing that her threat was real. Between Medda and Jack, Albert and Race could only imagine the punishment they would cook up for them. 

She chuckled, watching them shake their heads. “Be nice and be the kids I’m trying to raise you to be.” 

“Ugh momma, why do you have to take all the fun out of it?” Race gave her a grin. 

Medda grinned. “I’m not ruining your fun. I’m just telling you to behalf like the civilized children I know you to be. Now get going before you miss the bus.” 

She quickly handed off the lunches she had packed before pressing kisses to each of their foreheads as she watched them walk out the door. She looked over at the three still sitting at the table with a grin. “Finish up and we’ll leave in ten minutes.” 

Taking a sip of her coffee, she shook her head at the kids, knowing that they all loved their older brother dearly. “Momma?” 

Looking up from her coffee cup, she looked over at Smalls. “Yes, Smalls?” 

“Can we start up the conversation again about getting a dog?” She grinned, looking hopeful at her mother. “You know since Jack’s moved out and he had the energy of a dog.” 

The calendar on the fridge caught her attention. “Felicity! Don’t talk about your brother like that. I thought we were going to table that until the summer.” 

“Well . . . it's almost summer.” Smalls grinned, raising her eyebrow in hope. Romeo, and Henry both stopped eating momentarily, looking between their sister and momma. “Come on Momma . . . what’s holding you back?” 

“Summer is 9 months away. We’re going to be late if we don’t get a move on.” She gave the four a look. “We’ll table this discussion for when everyone is home and has a say.” 

Smalls gave her mom a knowing look. “Because you know what everyone is going to say. Why not just say yes and we’ll tell everyone later?”

“Felicity, car now.” Holding out a lunch bag, she gave her daughter a look before pointing to the garage door. Her younger brothers followed suit as Medda grabbed her purse, keys and her own lunch with a sigh before following them out the door. 

**11:00am - Study Hall**

Flipping open his Chemistry book, he tried to focus on the chapters the exam would cover. Looking across the room, he saw Charlie sitting with Amelia, his best friend since childhood, both of them absorbed in their studying. He sighed, flipping pages but not really paying attention to what he was reading. Feeling someone sit beside him, he picked his head up from his book. “You’ve been quiet all morning, what’s going on?” 

Spot Conlon was one that was very protective of those around him and when those in his personal circle were not themselves, Spot Conlon was one to pick up on it immediately. Race often joked he should become a detective after high school. 

“Jack’s comin’ home.” Race sighed, running a hand over his curls. “And he’s bringing someone back.” 

Spot leaned back in his chair, whistling. “Any info on that person?”

“Momma didn’t know. Just that he’ll be home around 5, in time for dinner.” Race looked at his boyfriend. “I’m excited that he’s coming home but he’s never brought someone home before.”

Spot nodded, having been around the Larkin household since Race was adopted eight years ago. “Think it might be a girl or are you leaning towards a roommate?” 

“I just talked to him yesterday and he didn’t mention anything about a girl.” Race sighed. “You know Jackie, he can’t keep his mouth shut normally.” 

Biting his lip, Spot sighed. “Knowing Jackie, it’ll all be okay. Whoever this person is, should be more nervous than you.” 

“What does that mean?” Race turned in his chair, giving his boyfriend a look. 

Spot chuckled. “You and your siblings are an intimidating crew. Y’all look innocent but when you want, you all can be evil.” 

Nodding, Race chuckled. “You’re right but momma put the kibosh on that. Will you come over tonight for dinner?” 

“Medda alright with that?” Spot raised an eyebrow, giving his boyfriend a look. 

Shrugging, Race closed his book with a slam. “She didn’t say anything about no boyfriends. I’m sure Finch and Amelia will be over just like normal.” 

“I’ll be there.” Spot agreed. “I’ll text my sis and let her know.” 

“Wanna dump all your Chemistry knowledge on me in the next thirty minutes?” Race leaned over, stealing a kiss from Spot with a grin. 

Spot smirked. “You’re going to need more than 30 minutes, stud. You’ll need all the help you can get; all of which, unfortunately, I cannot help with.” 

“Spottie . . . . please.” Race pleaded, giving him his best puppy dog eyes. 

Leaning over, he kissed him, smirking. “Open your book and we’ll see what we can get through before the bell.” 

**4:30pm**

Like any afternoon after school, the dining room table at Medda’s was rambunctious and loud. Nine kids were crammed around the table, each with their homework scattered around them. Medda was standing at the stove, stirring the sauce in the pot while listening to each of the kids talk about their day. 

“Homework almost done?” Medda called, raising her voice a bit to be heard over the kids. 

Various confirmations came from the table as she looked over at them. “Please put your stuff away and help set the table. Spot, Amelia, Finch, you staying for dinner?” 

“If that’s okay, Medda?” Spot called, stuffing his book and notebook back into his backpack. 

“Always sugar.” She grinned, raising a silent eyebrow in Finch and Amelia’s direction. 

Finch nodded with a grin while Amelia hesitated. “Sorry Medda, mom’s making dinner and wants all her kids home tonight.”

“No worries, Amelia. I’m sure we’ll see you at some point this weekend?” Medda asked, looking at Charlie’s best friend. 

She nodded with a grin. “I’ll be around. I’ll see you guys later.”

Several goodbyes were yelled as she made her way out the front door. Medda shook her head at the girl before stirring the pot of sauce on the stove. She had long considered Amelia another adopted child with how often she was over at the house. “So you don’t know anything about this person Jack’s bringing home, momma?” 

“If I did, I would tell you what I know.” Medda said, looking between Charlie, Albert, and let her gaze land on Race, who asked the question. “Jack called me up last week and asked if it was alright if he brought someone home with him. That’s all he said. Now, he’ll be here in a little bit, so I need all of your bags put up in your rooms and wash your hands. Smalls, Romeo put plates out. Race and Albert silverware and Charlie cups, please.” 

With assignments handed out, the kids scattered. Henry sat at the kitchen counter, swinging his legs, back and forth watching Medda with wide eyes. “What can I do momma?” 

Looking at the table being set, Medda smiled. “Henry can you make sure every place has a napkin?” 

He hopped off his chair doing as he was told while Medda took a moment to relax in the busyness of the house and thankful for everything that surrounded her. 

“You alright, momma?” Albert asked, pausing in his movements of laying down the silverware, looking at her. 

She smiled. “Just fine baby. Excited that all my children will be in the house this weekend. How’s that table coming along?” 

“Almost done momma.” Race called. “How’s the spaghetti?” 

She gave it one more stir before nodding. “It’s almost ready.”

“Momma, Race, Charlie, Albert, Smalls, Romeo, Jack’s home and he brought a pretty girl!” Henry yelled as several eyes went wide and the front door was thrown open.

Quickly wiping her hands, Medda put the towel on the counter before following the kids to the front foyer. She smiled at Spot and Finch who stood back, giving the family some space. Medda couldn’t help but tear up as her oldest walked through the door, holding a hand of a pretty girl, just as Henry had exclaimed. 


	2. Arriving Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack arrives home with his girlfriend, much to his family's surprise.

**I do not own anything that is familiar to you - songs, characters, etc. This is the next part of the story - you’ll get to meet Jack and the person he’s bringing home with him. Enjoy!**

**PART II**

**September 20, 2019**

“So I have a question for you.” Jack asked, sliding into a chair across from his girlfriend with a grin. 

Kat leaned forward, placing a kiss on his lips. “That depends?”

“On what?” Jack raised his eyebrows, giving her a look. 

Kat laughed, picking up her pen, quickly jotting down something on the notebook in front of her. “On where you want to bury the body?” 

Jack threw his head back and laughed, loudly, catching the attention of several tables surrounding them. “There won’t be a body to bury. I actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to come home with me to meet my momma and my siblings.” 

Kat paused in her actions, slowly looking up from the notebook to see her boyfriend grinning at her. “You want me to come home with you to meet the family?” 

“I’d love for you but if it’s too soon, I completely understand.” Jack paused. “I am planning on making a trip back in a few weeks and would love for you to come back with me.” 

Kat bit her lip, looking at him. “You have six siblings, right? What makes you think they’re not going to tear me apart? You did mention that you’ve never brought anyone home.” 

“They will love you, just as I love you.” Jack said, grinning. 

Raising an eyebrow, Kat shook her head. “You’re laying it on thick, Kelly. I don’t know . . .” 

“Come on, what do you have to lose?” Jack said, lacing his fingers with his, giving them a squeeze. 

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair. “When do we leave?” 

**October 4, 2019**

Relaxing against the seat, she watched the scenery pass by as a Gavin DeGraw song came on the random playlist Jack had put on. “So you said that you had something you wanted to tell me on the way.” 

Taking his right hand off the steering wheel, Jack reached over and laced his fingers with hers. “You’re the first person I’ve brought home, but I told you that already. Medda adopted me when I was 14 years old. Racer and I were adopted together, we’re brothers by birth. Medda added Albert and Charlie a year later with Smalls two years after that. My siblings can be rough, hellions even, especially when new people are brought around. Just . . . don’t hold anything against them.” 

“Did you tell them you were bringing me?” She asked, biting her lip. 

It was Jack’s turn to bite his lip. “Not exactly.” 

He yelped as her hand hit his shoulder. “Jack! You’re not making it any easier. Don’t you think telling them you’re bringing me home might help the situation a bit?” 

“I was just too excited that you actually said yes that I didn’t exactly think things through . . .” Jack admitted with a grin. “They’re going to love you when they meet you.” 

She was hesitant, giving Jack’s hand a squeeze. “If you say so.” 

“There’s one more thing you should be aware of.” Jack started, squeezing her hand back. “Momma is special. She tends to adopt anyone that walks through the door. Just know that if something happens with us, which I’m not advocating for by the way, she would be even more devastated and feel like one of her children ran away from home.” 

She raised an eyebrow, shifting in her seat. “So are you telling me that we can’t break up because it will break your momma’s heart?” 

“Uh huh . . . there’s one thing you never wanna do and that’s make Medda angry at you.” Jack shrugged.

“I take it you’re talking from experience?” She quipped, as a grin stretched across her face. 

His silence was all the answer she needed from him. “What did you do to piss your momma off?” 

“There’s too many times to count.” Jack grinned, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “I was the problem child, it’s a wonder she continued to adopt after me and Racer.” 

She raised an eyebrow, grinning. “That explains so much . . . what kind of problem child? I mean, should I be worried?” 

“I may have been caught stealing once and ran with a rough crowd.” Jack shrugged. “It was a rough two years when I was teenager but Medda was firm and loving and managed to turn myself around. Though, there were many times I thought she would kick me to the curb but she never did.” 

“So tell me about your siblings.” She shifted in her seat, eyes bright with excitement, despite her nerves at meeting his family. 

A smile crossed Jack’s face as he reflected on his mismatched family. “What do you want to know about the hellions?” 

“Should I be afraid that you call them hellions? Just whatever you want to share.” She shrugged, knowing they still had a bit of time ahead of them. 

The song changed on the playlist she had picked when they first got in the car. Jack grinned listening to “The Last Song” by All American Rejects. 

“Nah, we’re all a mismatch group - we’re all misfits that create a pretty amazing family. Anthony is 17 and my half brother. We call him Race or Racer but he’s the sweetest kid, even though he can be a pain in the ass at any moment. Kid’s got a mouth on him that Momma and I have been trying to curtail but it’s not taking much. He’s dating Sean, better known as Spot. They’ve been together for the last two years but have been friends for as long as I can remember. Charlie and Albert were the next two that Medda adopted - Charlie is a sweetheart with an evil streak. He’s our practical joker so be on the lookout, though Momma probably gave them the ‘don’t do anything stupid’ talk already. And Albert, he’s super smart but doesn’t really apply himself, rather just cruise through school. Albert is a wicked good soccer player and it’s pretty cool to watch him out on the field. His boyfriend, Finch is the goalie and the two of them are pretty incredible - they’re already talking scholarships for college.” Jack paused, shaking his head at the older of his younger siblings. 

“They all sound pretty remarkable.” She murmured. 

Nodding, Jack grinned. “They all are. Now for the younger three. Smalls is our only girl in the family but don’t let that fool you. She’s tough as nails, despite being a natural girly girl. She plays lacrosse and is damn good at it. She’s ruthless at it and it’s pretty cool watching her fight on the field. She’s a sweetheart and mostly always gets her way due to being the only girl. Romeo is our flirt but he’s harmless. He’s charismatic and energetic and really good at school, despite him being bored most of the time. He’s in a gift program at school and he’s a wicked good artist - he puts me to shame sometimes. And then there’s Henry, our newest brother. He’s four and has the biggest heart - he’s a cuddler, so beware. All of us are huggers, it’s just when you’ve been denied it for so long, you naturally drift to that - Henry never had that trepidation and just loves whoever he comes into contact with - there’s no malice or resentment yet.”

Reaching over, she grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze with a sad smile. “Thanks for telling me. I’m excited to meet them all. Do you have any pets?” 

“Albert has Fluffy, Race has Iggy the iguana, and from what I’ve heard, Smalls has been trying to convince momma to get a dog. The house is already a three ring circle yet momma is considering adding a dog to the mix.” Jack shook his head chuckling at his family. 

She raised an eyebrow. “So you mentioned that a couple of your siblings were pranksters - anything I should be cautious of?”

“Momma probably had the talk about treating you like she treated all of them when she adopted us so they should be on their best behavior.” Jack grinned. “You’re tough and you grew up with brothers so I’m sure you’ll be just fine.” 

“I just want this weekend to go well and for them to like me.” She whispered, giving him a look.

Squeezing her hand, Jack smiled. “A little advice for this crew?”

“What’s that?” Katherine asked, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend. 

“Don’t let the little things bother you; laugh, a lot, and just talk with my siblings - that’ll go a long way in their book.” Jack smiled, pulling into the driveway of a gorgeous house. 

A gasp escaped Katherine’s mouth. “This is your house?” 

“Yeah . . . momma was married and divorced ten year ago and from the divorce bought this house and filled it with kids that her ex-husband denied her.” Jack turned off the car with a shrug. “Come on . . . the longer we sit here, the more time they’ve got to plan.” 

Getting out of the car, she let her eyes scan the front of the tall dark grey exterior with white shutters. A basketball hoop sat in the driveway along with several scooters and bikes. Hearing the car door shut, she felt Jack’s presence behind her with their bags. “Take a deep breath, there’s nothing to be nervous about.” 

“You aren’t about to meet your boyfriend’s family.” She gently teased. 

He laughed. “No but I had to sit through dinner with your family and I guarantee this will be much less organized than that was. There may even be a small food fight.” 

“Something to look forward to then.” She grinned, lacing her fingers with his with a squeeze before they made their way up the steps just as the front door flew open. 

“Momma, Jackie brought a pretty girl home.” Henry, she was impressed that she remembered his name, yelled into the house. 

In the next moment, her hand was dropped as Jack was engulfed with hugs from his siblings. Their bags were dropped by the door as he swung a couple of them into his arms. She grinned watching him completely relax in the mayhem as an older woman, she presumed it was his momma, came closer to her. “I apologize for my children, it’s not often they’re away from their brother for this long. I’m Medda, Jack’s mom.” 

“It’s very nice to meet you. I’m Katherine.” She grinned as Medda engulfed her in a hug. Looking over her shoulder, Katherine caught Jack’s eye as a giant smile crossed his face. 

Jack clapped his hands, as the two women broke apart, both with grins on their faces. “Momma, gang, this is Katherine, my girlfriend. Katherine, this is the crew.” 

A light blush crossed her face as she looked at the eight faces that surrounded her. “It’s nice to meet all of you.” 

“Wait . . how do you know us?” Smalls piped up, looking between her brother and mom. 

Katherine smiled. “Your brother told me all about you . . .”

“Glad you know about us but we don’t know about you.” Race’s sarcasm came out as he looked between the girl and his oldest brother. “Thought we didn’t keep secrets, Jackie.” 

And with that, he left the room, pounding up the stairs. A few seconds later, a door slammed. A sigh came over her shoulder as a shorter boy smacked Jack’s back a couple of times before shaking his head. “You knew he was going to bring out the dramatics, Jack. Want me to go talk to him?” 

“Nah, I’ll do it, Spot.” Jack walked over to Katherine’s side. Lacing her fingers in with his, she gave it a quick squeeze, as he looked down at her. “Let me introduce Katherine to you all then get her settled and I’ll talk to him.” 

The next few minutes were filled with introductions as Kat made small talk with all of them. She found out she had a lot in common with Albert, Charlie, and Spot. She cracked a couple of jokes that caught the attention of Smalls and Romeo. As promised, Henry slipped his hand into Kat’s and hadn’t let go the entire time she talked with Finch and Spot. 

“I’m going to show her to her room then we’ll be down, okay?” Jack clapped his hands as she finished talking about her journalism major with Charlie. 

Jack grabbed their bags before ascending the stairs. Along the way, he pointed out the kid’s bedrooms before leading her to the guest room, which was adjacent to his own room. “This is your room.”

Pushing open the door, she smiled at the brightly painted buttery yellow room. A bed sat in the middle with a small bedside table and an adjacent bathroom. “You get the best room in the house - you don’t have to fight for the bathroom.”

Putting her bag down beside the desk, she gave the room one more lookover before gasping. In the middle of her bed was a snake, basking in the sunshine. Taking a step forward, she carefully picked up the snake, running a finger, gently over its back. “And who might this be?” 

Jack chuckled, surprised by his girlfriend’s gentle nature to the snake. “That’s Fluffy, Albert’s pet snake. You never told me you were comfortable around snakes.” 

“It’s a ball python, Jack. They’re harmless.” She grinned, eyes floating over to the doorway where Albert and Charlie stood. “Let me guess, her cage accidentally got left open?” 

The two at least had the decency to look guilty as they stepped into the room. “Yeah, sorry about that Katherine. We’ll just go put her back in her cage.” 

“She’s sweet.” Kat called after them as Jack pulled her into his arms with a laugh. 

He leaned down and kissed her quickly before pulling back. “You just won a buttload of brownie points with them. How about you freshen up while I go talk to Racer? I’m sorry about him, Kat.”

“Don’t be . . . I told you that you should’ve warned them you were bringing me home.” She gave him a look, before pushing to her tiptoes and brushing a kiss to his lips. “Love you regardless.” 

“Love you too.” With a final kiss, he left the room as she took a seat on the bed and tried to calm her racing heart. Twenty minutes down, the entire weekend in front of her. 

She quickly ran a brush through her hair before using the restroom before walking down the hallway trying to find out where Jack went. She heard his voice and followed the direction. Stopping in front of Jack’s room, she smiled seeing Race and Jack sitting on the bed beside one another. “Why didn’t you tell us you were bringing her home?”

“I was nervous . . . I’ve never brought someone home and I didn’t want to hype it up anymore than it needed to be.” Jack admitted. “But I realized it backfired. I’m sorry, Racer. Do you forgive me?” 

A quick nod of the head, Race grinned, throwing an arm around Jack’s shoulder. “You mentioned she picked up Fluffy?” 

“Without an ounce of hesitation, as if she’s held one her whole life.” Jack said, with a shake of his own head. 

“I had a ball python growing up. Her name was Izzy.” Kat took that moment to interrupt the two by leaning against the door. “Hi Race, I’m Katherine. It’s nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” He held out his hand for her to shake. She did with a grin. “I’m sorry about earlier . . . it just took me off guard.” 

“No worries . . . I did tell your brother he should have told you all but he never listens.” She grinned. 

Race’s eyes went wide at her comment. “He never listens . . . it’s one of his most annoying traits.”    
“Oh, no. I’m going to regret introducing you two, aren’t I?” Jack said, looking between his brother and girlfriend. 

Kat laughed. “I think Race and I are going to get along just fine.” 

“Kids, dinner.” Medda yelled up the stairs as a stampede of feet hitting the stairs was heard. 

Jack and Race’s eyes went wide as they made their way to the hallway. “First rule of the household, Kat, dinner waits for no one.” 

She watched Race run down the stairs as her and Jack took their time. Lacing fingers with Jack, they made their way into the dining room. All Kat could think was it was organized chaos, with all the kids trying to find a spot around the table. Two chairs were left open on Medda’s left, as Jack dragged her in that direction. “We have assigned seats around the table to stop anything from even starting.” 

“Quit making us sound like heathens, Jack.” Race called from across Kat with a wicked grin. “You make us sound like we can’t control ourselves.” 

Jack raised an eyebrow in Race’s direction. “Need I remind you about the great spaghetti disaster of 2015?” 

Various shouts of disdain came from around the table as Kat’s head went from Race’s outrageous face to Medda putting her face in her hands with a groan. “I thought we promised to never talk about that, ever again.” 

Jack put his hands up innocently at Medda’s exclamation. “Sorry momma . . . hence why we have assigned seating around this table.” 

And with that, spaghetti was scooped onto plates and conversation hushed as everyone began eating. Katherine ate with gusto while listening to everyone talk about their day. Henry ran an animated discussion about preschool dramatics while Smalls just shook her head at her brother. “Thought you were allowed to be around Avery after you put paint in her hair?” 

Henry at least has the decency to look guilty. “Well . . . that was last week. Monday was a new week.” 

“Wait . . .” Jack held up a hand, looking around the dining room table. “Henry James, you put paint in Avery’s hair?”

Henry grinned brightly at his older brother. “Well . . . she started it by putting playdough in my milk cup. I had to get her back somehow.” 

Out of the corner of her eye, Kat watched Jack bite his lip to hold back the laughter that wanted to escape. “Well that wasn’t very nice.” 

“Try having a conversation with his teacher about it.” Medda piped up, giving her youngest a look, while shooting a warning look to her oldest. “So how’s school going Jack?” 

Taking a drink of water, Jack shrugged. “It’s going good. Finally got into the groove of classes and homework and balancing everything. I really like my art history class, the professor is really cool.” 

“Sounds like a snoozer.” Albert piped up, giving his older brother a look. 

“Of course you’d say that . . .” Romeo rolled his eyes at his older brother, before turning his attention to Jack. “Are you studying Monet or Rembrandt yet?” 

Jack chuckled at Romeo’s dig at Albert before shaking his head. “Nah, we’re starting with Da Vinci but we’re going to be studying both of them.” 

“Ugh . . . Da Vinci.” Romeo made a gagging noise which caused Kat to giggle at him. “Now talk to me when you’re studying Monet.” 

“Alright nerds . . . moving on.” Race gave his brothers a look. “What is the plan for the weekend?” 

Six eyes looked between Jack and Medda as Kat did the same. She was just along for the ride for the weekend. “Albert’s got a game tomorrow morning that I figured you’d want to go to Jack but other than that, there’s nothing planned.” 

“I want to show Kat around a bit at some point but we can play that by ear.” Jack shrugged, looking at his girlfriend. “We can go to Al’s game . . . you know, Kat played soccer in high school.” 

Albert’s eyes lit up at that. “What position did you play?” 

“Center Midfielder.” She grinned. “My team went to state and lost in the final game in overtime, penalty kicks.” 

Albert whistled slowly, shaking his head. “Tough break. I usually go outside after dinner to kick around in the backyard, if you want to join me.” 

“I’d love to. Your brother doesn’t know how to kick a soccer ball properly.” She gave Jack a wicked grin before looking across the table at Albert. “He has absolutely no ball control.”

“You’re preaching to the choir.” Race pipped in, looking at Katherine. “There may have been several windows broken because someone has a left foot.” 

Jack held up his hands in defense. “I didn’t realize the ball would go towards the house. I was aiming towards the field.” 

“What are you even saying?” Kat gave him a look, shaking her head. “I don’t even know the words that are coming out of your mouth.” 

Albert, Finch, Spot, Race, and Charlie all busted out laughing at Katherine’s bluntness. “Oh you’ve met your match, Jackie.” 

Dinner quickly finished up, and before long the table was cleared before the family headed outside to enjoy the last few hours of the day. All the kids ran out into the big backyard while Jack and Medda hung out on the deck. “I’m so glad you’re home, Jack.”

“It’s good to be home momma. How have you been?” Jack looked over at the woman who had saved his life more times than he could count. 

Medda reached out and patted his shoulder. “I’ve been good, busy with the kids, making sure they are all happy and have everything you need. It’s been an adjustment since you went back to school but it seems like we’ve got it all figured out now. But I won’t say that I haven’t missed you.” 

“I have missed you too, momma.” Jack smiled. “And funny enough, I’ve even missed the zoo and the antics of everyone.” 

She gave him a look. “Only you could call this place a zoo and live to tell the tale.” 

“Oh momma, you love me so much more than the others. I’m your first born.” Jack grinned, knowing though Medda would deny it, it was true. 

Medda watched Kat and Albert pass the ball back and forth between them. “Jack …. you know I love you all equally but I will say the house hasn’t been the same since you went back to college.” 

“Is that a good thing or bad?” Jack asked, not really wanting to know the answer either way. 

Medda chuckled. “I’ll let you figure that one out.” 

Leaning back in the lounge chair, Jack watched his siblings and friends run around the yard. A game of chase had begun while Kat and Albert continued to kick the ball back and forth, dodging hitting anyone in the process. It was good to be home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is 3800 words of family lovingness. Feedback would be wonderful and much appreciate.

**Author's Note:**

> Any feedback would be wonderful!


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